A master class on weaving Kupala wreaths will be held on Ivan Kupala Day in Vitebsk

June 11, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A master class on weaving Kupala wreaths will be held for the ancient holiday of Ivan Kupala, which will be widely celebrated in Vitebsk for the first time. The revival of ancient rituals is one of the goals of the joint project "Daugavpils and Vitebsk: Cultural Cooperation and Development," which is being implemented within the framework of the Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus cross-border cooperation program by the Daugavpils Latvian Culture Center and the Vitebsk Culture Center. This was told to a BELTA correspondent by project coordinator Victoria Shpak. The celebration of the folk holiday Ivan Kupala in Vitebsk on July 7 is one of the events of this project, the scenario plan for which was developed by cultural managers from Vitebsk and Daugavpils. It is based on the specifics of celebrating Ivan Kupala (or Yanov Day, according to Latvian traditions) in Belarus and Latvia. In addition to the master class on weaving wreaths, the holiday will feature a meeting with the Honored Amateur Ensemble of the Republic of Belarus, the "Lyavonikha" dance ensemble of the Vitebsk Culture Center, the "Swatra" folk song and dance group, and the "Zhemchuzhinka" children's vocal studio from the Daugavpils Latvian Culture Center. The "Daugavpils and Vitebsk: Cultural Cooperation and Development" project provides for joint cultural events: the celebration of the traditional national holidays of Ivan Kupala and Ligo with the participation of Belarusian and Latvian creative groups, using historical and folklore themes aimed at preserving and popularizing folklore traditions and customs in the border regions, organizing concerts, implementing cultural exchange programs, providing the "Lyavonikha" ensemble with Belarusian musical instruments, stage costumes and accessories, training ensemble participants in new dance productions by a choreographer from Latvia, and reconstructing the summer stage of the Soviet Army Cultural and Leisure Complex, a branch of the Vitebsk Culture Center. All this will contribute to the main goal of the project: to create an opportunity to hold various events, including international ones, aimed at popularizing national cultures, customs, and traditions at a higher technical level. The project implementation is planned for 2012-2013. The total budget is 296.8 thousand euros. The budget for the Belarusian part of the project is 109.9 thousand euros, including 98.9 thousand euros from the European Commission. The Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, implemented within the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, is the successor to Priority IIIA South of the INTERREG IIIB Baltic Sea Region Programme for the period from 2007 to 2013. The overall strategic goal of the program is to improve the territorial cohesion of the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian border region, ensure a high level of environmental protection, provide economic and social well-being, and promote intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity. -0-